Cantilevered towel rack

ABSTRACT

The present invention is directed to a Cantilevered Towel Rack to hang over the ladder of a recreational vehicle to dry towels and articles of clothing. It is self-supporting and not permanently attached whereby it can be easily removed and stored in an confined area. Cushioned hanger members will hang over the steps of the ladder at the rear of the vehicles. A cushioned forward section attached to the hanger members at a prescribed angle will extent outwardly from the ladder with a mating rear section telescoping within, to be locked in place by the means of compression couplings.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The Cantilevered Towel Rack relates to racks used, but not limited to, hanging towels or other wet articles of clothing on the ladders attached to recreational vehicles or on other horizontal surfaces. More specifically this device relates to a device that is self-supporting and not permanently attached whereby it can be easily removed and stored in a confined area.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A wide variety of clothing and towel racks are presently on the market with most requiring the permanent mounting to a wall surface or hung over the door on mounting brackets. All these devices are normally adapted to indoor applications, but are not easily used on any of the wide variety of recreational vehicles with limited inside space requirements. Wet towels and clothing can easily become mildewed when stored, and should be hung out to dry if possible. Sleeping bags should be hung out to air after being used to keep them smelling fresh. The limited space within the recreational vehicle does not make this easy, and these articles hung in the area of the awning are unsightly. Most recreational vehicle parks discourage the use of clothes lines hung around the campsites. The most convenient area is at the rear of the recreational vehicle where there is usually located a ladder attached to gain access to the roof area. Although this area is convenient most people would not desire a towel rack to be permanently attached to the rear of their vehicle and the ladder does not provide the area required to hang many articles.

Numerous innovations for towel racks have been provided in the prior art that are described as follows. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they differ from the present application as hereinafter contrasted. The following is a summary of those prior art patents most relevant to the invention at hand, as well a description outlining the difference between the features of the present application and those of the prior art.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,719 of Lee Z Hall describes a cantilever storage rack having posts with vertically spaced rectangular apertures and arms having U-shaped brackets embracing the posts. Each bracket has two pairs of vertically spaced rectangular apertures so that two pins connect the bracket and post. The lower bracket apertures are spaced slightly rearward of the upper apertures in a direction away from the face of the column. The result is that the cantilever arm is supported by the pins with area contact but is held away from the column, thereby insuring accurate vertical arm location.

This patent describes a conventional industrial storage rack using the cantilever principle but it could not be used as a clothing rack in any way and could not be attached to the ladder of a recreational vehicle.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,722 of Ching-Keung Lam tells of a towel rack comprising a support member adapted to be removably mountable to a wall, and a plurality of towel rails, which may be engaged to the support member at selected locations and in selected configurations by a user. Such an arrangement provides efficient use of space, versatility and the ability to remove the rails and or support member when not required.

This patent tells of a towel rack to be removably mountable to a wall and it can be used to hang wet towels and clothing on, but requires some form of permanent attachment to the surface. It could not be hung on the ladder of a recreational vehicle.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,488,159 of Shun-Tian Shuen discloses a telescopic hanging rack structure. The structure includes a first bar, a second bar and a coupling unit. The outer faces of the first and second bars are formed with axial locating ribs, which are cut with multiple notches at equal intervals. The outer ends of the first and second bars are connected with hanging hooks via circular adapters. The coupling unit includes left and right casings mated and locked with each other by screws. The inner wall faces of the left and right casings are respectively formed with two-stage recesses with different curvatures, such that after the first and second bars are fitted with each other, the first and second bars are firmly inserted and located in the left and right casings.

This invention discloses a telescoping feature of a hanging close rack but has been designed for a permanent mounting between two interior wall surfaces.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,118,001 of Richard B. Klein describes a storage rack, which hangs on the upper edge of a base cabinet door. A pair of hanger brackets fit closely on the door edge and are constructed to accommodate the plain edge of a flush mounted door or the stepped edge of a recessed cabinet door. Hooks on the inside parts of the brackets receive mounting fixtures used to attach storage devices such as baskets, trays, shelves, paper towel holders, food wrap dispensers, towel hooks or towel bars. Tabs on the outside parts of the hanger brackets allow a towel bar or other device to be mounted on the outside surface of the base cabinet door. Alternative embodiments provide a single bracket which can be applied to both flush and recessed doors and which accommodates different types of storage devices that may be hooked or otherwise connected to the brackets. The connections between the brackets and storage devices can be made in various ways, including hooks fitting through openings and threaded connections.

This invention describes a storage rack to hang vertically over a door or cabinet. Although it might hang on the ladder of a recreational vehicle, it has been designed primarily for storage devices such as baskets; trays, shelves, paper towel holders, and food wrap dispensers. It does not telescope outwardly to have the capability to hang wet towels, clothing or even sleeping bags.

None of these previous efforts, however, provides the benefits attendant with the present application. The Cantilevered Towel Rack achieves its intended purposes, objects and advantages over the prior art devices through a new, useful and unobvious combination of method steps and component elements, with the use of a minimum number of functioning parts, at a reasonable cost to manufacture, and by employing readily available materials.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the Cantilevered Towel Rack in detail it is to be understood that the Cantilevered Towel Rack is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement, of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The Cantilevered Towel Rack is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present application. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present application.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The principal advantage of the Cantilevered Towel Rack is to provide a compact portable wet towel and wearing apparel drying rack to be used on recreational vehicles.

Another advantage is to provide a towel rack that does not require a permanent attachment.

Another advantage is to provide a unique device that will temporarily hang on the ladder at the rear of most recreational vehicles.

Another advantage is that the Cantilevered Towel Rack will telescope from an extended position to a retracted position for easy storage in confined locations.

Another advantage of the Cantilevered Towel Rack is that it is self-supporting and will not easily be blown off by the wind.

Another advantage is that more than one Cantilevered Towel Rack can hang from a single recreational vehicle ladder.

And still another advantage is that the Cantilevered Towel Rack will hang from a variety of other horizontal surfaces.

A further advantage is that the Cantilevered Towel Rack can be used to air blankets and sleeping bags.

A final advantage of the Cantilevered Towel Rack is to add a new and unique device to the area of recreational vehicle paraphernalia.

These together with other objects and advantages which become subsequently apparent reside in the details of the construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

The preferred embodiment of the Cantilevered Towel Rack will consist of a pair of hanger members with non-slip covering that may consist of a rubber or polymer tube or similar material that will provide a cushion for the attachment means. The hanger members will be attached to the forward section cross brace of the Cantilevered Towel Rack by the means of welding or by a conventional threaded attachment means for easy removal during shipping.

The forward section will consist of a yoke, consisting of two or more forward extension members with a rubber or polymer tube or similar material that will provide a cushion at the pressure point of the attachment. The angle between the hanger members and the forward section cross brace may be between ninety to seventy degrees, with seventy-five degrees being the preferred location. The width and length of the device, the number of extension members, and the spacing between the extension members may very, but will still be covered within the scope of this application. One or more of the extension members will be threaded at the distal end to incorporate a compression coupling to secure the mating rear section.

The rear section will consist of matching rear extension members connected by a rear cross brace. The rear extension members will telescope within the forward extension members and are locked in place by the means of the compression couplings.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the Cantilevered Towel Rack, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present application. Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the device. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the Cantilevered Towel Rack to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of this application.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the Cantilevered Towel Rack and together with the detailed description, serve to explain the principles of this device.

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of the Cantilevered Towel Rack supported by a conventional ladder attached to the rear of a recreational vehicle.

FIG. 2 depicts a plan view of the Cantilevered Towel Rack with three telescoping extension members.

FIG. 3 depicts a side view of the Cantilevered Towel Rack illustrating the preferred angle of the extension members.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, wherein similar parts of the Cantilevered Towel Rack 10 are identified by like reference numerals, there is seen in FIG. 1 a perspective view of the Cantilevered Towel Rack 10 supported by a conventional recreational vehicle ladder 12 attached to a recreational vehicle 14. Recreational vehicle ladders normally consist of a series of ladder steps 16 attached to two ladder side rails 18 and 20. The side rails are connected to a series of ladder support bars 22 that are permanently attached to the recreational vehicle surface 14 by the means of ladder mounting plates 24.

The forward section 26 of the Cantilevered Towel Rack 10 is supported by a pair of hanger members 28 and 30 that extend over a ladder step 16 with a non-slip covering 32 that may consist of a rubber or polymer tube or similar material that will provide a cushion for the attachment means. The hanger members 28 and 30 will be attached to the forward section cross brace 34 of the Cantilevered Towel Rack 10 by the means of welding or by a conventional threaded attachment means for removal during shipping. Extending outwardly from the forward section cross brace 34 are one or more forward extension members 36. The forward cross brace 34 is covered at the distal ends with of rubber or polymer tubing 38 or similar material that will provide a cushion at the pressure point of the attachment to the ladder 12. One or more of the forward extension members 36 will be threaded at the distal end to incorporate a compression coupling 40 to secure the mating with the rear section 44.

The rear section 44 will consist of matching rear extension members 46 connected by a rear cross brace 48. The rear extension members 46 will telescope within the forward extension members 36 to be locked in place by the means of the compression couplings 40.

FIG. 2 depicts a plan view of the Cantilevered Towel Rack 10 illustrating hanger members 28 and 30 attached to the forward section 26 with three forward extension members 36 incorporating compression couplings 40. The rear section 44 is shown in the compressed state with the rear extension members 46 telescoping within the forward extension members 36.

FIG. 3 depicts a side view of the Cantilevered Towel Rack 10 illustrating the rear extension members 46 telescoping within the forward extension members 36 and the hanger members 28 and 30 shown at angle A, seventy five degrees, although this angle may be between seventy and ninety degrees and still remain within the scope of this application.

The Cantilevered Towel Rack 10 shown in the drawings and described in detail herein discloses arrangements of elements of particular construction and configuration for illustrating preferred embodiments of structure and method of operation of the present device. It is to be understood, however, that elements of different construction and configuration and other arrangements thereof, other than those illustrated and described may be employed for providing a Cantilevered Towel Rack 10 in accordance with the spirit of this application, and such changes, alternations and modifications as would occur to those skilled in the art are considered to be within the scope of this device as broadly defined in the appended claims.

Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the Cantilevered Towel Rack of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way. 

1. A cantilevered towel rack comprising: (a) a forward section yoke having a forward section cross brace and two or more forward section extension members, each of said forward section extension members incorporating a compression coupling; (b) a pair of hanger members attached to said forward section cross; (c) a rear section having a rear section cross brace and two or more rear section extension members attached to said rear section cross brace; whereby each of said rear section extension members capable of telescoping within said forward section extension members to secure mating between said rear section extension members and forward section extension members using said incorporated compression couplings.
 2. The cantilevered towel rack according to claim 1, wherein said pair of hanger members includes hanger members having a non-slip covering.
 3. The cantilevered towel rack according to claim 2, wherein said non-slip covering includes rubber tubing.
 4. The cantilevered towel rack according to claim 2, wherein said non-slip covering includes polymer tubing.
 5. The cantilevered towel rack according to claim 1, wherein said pair of hanger members are attached to said forward section cross brace by welding.
 6. The cantilevered towel rack according to claim 1, wherein said pair of hanger members are attached to said forward section cross brace by conventional threaded attachment for easy removal during shipping.
 7. The cantilevered towel rack according to claim 1, wherein the angle between said pair of hanger members and said forward section cross brace is between about ninety degrees to about seventy degrees
 8. The cantilevered towel rack according to claim 1, wherein the angle between said pair of hanger members and said forward section cross brace is seventy-five degrees.
 9. The cantilevered towel rack according to claim 1, wherein said two or more forward section extension members are threaded at the distal end to incorporate a compression coupling to secure mating to said rear section extension members.
 10. The cantilevered towel rack according to claim 1, wherein said forward section cross brace includes a forward section cross brace having a non-slip covering.
 11. A method for making a cantilevered towel rack comprising: (a) providing a forward section yoke having a forward section cross brace and two or more forward section extension members, each of said forward section extension members incorporating a compression coupling; (b) providing a pair of hanger members attached to said forward section cross; (c) providing a rear section having a rear section cross brace and two or more rear section extension members attached to said rear section cross brace; whereby each of said rear section extension members capable of telescoping within said forward section extension members to secure mating between said rear section extension members and forward section extension members using said incorporated compression couplings.
 12. The method for making a cantilevered towel rack according to claim 11, wherein said step of providing a pair of hanger members includes the step of providing hanger members having a non-slip covering.
 13. The method for making a cantilevered towel rack according to claim 12, wherein said non-slip covering includes rubber tubing.
 14. The method for making a cantilevered towel rack according to claim 12, wherein said non-slip covering includes polymer tubing.
 15. The method for making a cantilevered towel rack according to claim 11, wherein said step of providing a pair of hanger members includes the step of providing a pair of hanger members that are attached to said forward section cross brace by welding.
 16. The method for making a cantilevered towel rack according to claim 11, wherein said step of providing a pair of hanger members includes the step of providing a pair of hanger members that are attached to said forward section cross brace by conventional threaded attachment for easy removal during shipping.
 17. The method for making a cantilevered towel rack according to claim 11, wherein the angle between said pair of hanger members and said forward section cross brace is between about ninety degrees to about seventy degrees
 18. The method for making a cantilevered towel rack according to claim 11, wherein the angle between said pair of hanger members and said forward section cross brace is seventy-five degrees.
 19. The method for making a cantilevered towel rack according to claim 11, wherein said two or more forward section extension members are threaded at the distal end to incorporate a compression coupling to secure mating to said rear section extension members.
 20. The method for making a cantilevered towel rack according to claim 11, wherein said step of providing a forward section cross brace includes the step of providing a forward section cross brace having a non-slip covering. 